Gallows Square
Gallows Square Gallows Square is a crossroads located on the edge of the Common District of Regalia which gained prominence in the timeframe of 1443 - 1471 also known as The Great Vampire Purge, where by studying logbooks show that 2376 Vampire citizens were killed over the 28 years of the purge and 1874 were subject to other forms of cruelty. History Originally called Church Square, the Square was built between 1197 and 1199 after the front facade of the Grand Cathedral was completed c.1196 (The rest of the structure not being completed until 1224 and interior not finished until 1227). Documents from the time reveal that before the Square was built there was a farmhouse in the middle of what is now Bersing Street, (where above picture was taken). In the southeastern corner stands the Thorin Library which is a converted barn from the farm that was previously in this location. It suffered minor fire damage in the 1197 Church Square fire which began after a worker knocked over a torch and set alight the wooden entrance. During the 1414 Seige of Regalia by the united Orc tribes of Central Ithania a large boulder fired by an Orc trebuchet landed in the square causing damage to the area in front of the houses at the southwestern edge of the square. The Great Vampire Purge (1443 - 1471) In March of 1443, Prince Maximos, the son of Emperor Valenzio II was assassinated as he stepped out of the Royal Palace by a Vampire by the name of Curus who was captured hours later by guards attempting to flee the city. Enraged at his sons death and seeking vengeance, Valenzio II ordered the Patriarch Malkio IV to place a Crusade on all Vampires and for the then Chancellor of Regalia Norn Kade to place all guards on high alert and to apprehend all Vampires on sight, (thus causing the Vampire Community to construct the underground city system with the aid of Dwarven Miners). Vampires that were caught by Crimson Officials were held in Crimson Street Prison before being transported to the newly renamed Gallows Square gallows via caged horse-drawn cart and armed guard. The Vampire would then have been held in the cage in the Western side of the street until the gallows made ready. Binko Marinia (1409 - 1456) was the executioner until 1456 when a particular strong Vampire named Falbor broke free of the cage, murdered two Crimson Officials, several townsfolk who had gathered to watch the execution and Marinia himself. Falbor went on to flee Regalia and is said to reside somewhere in Daendroc as of 1467. Types of execution Executions took place almost every day provided there were Vampires "in stock", the most common being a standard hanging by the neck until dead. However, in later years it became more customary for the prisoner to be hung, drawn and quartered and beheaded and their head posted in the middle of the square. Tuesdays typically became the days for this kind of execution and many people who lived in and around Gallows Square rented rooms in their homes to people who would come to see the hangings. Log books show that nearly 1900 prisoners were subject to forms of humiliation, mostly female Vampires and children. These humiliations ranged from being locked in a caged for up to 3 days, be verbally and physically abused and then led out to be thrown in the Arinus River outside the city, or to be put in stocks and have rotten fruit and vegetables be thrown at them by Crimson Guards or citizens. After the Purge Emperor Valenzio II died in 1469 but the Purge continued for another 4 years albeit at a diminishing rate. On average the Square seen only around 8 executions a week and many Crimson Guards and Officials had found themselves out of work. Mnay Vampires had also left the city bringing the population down to only about 900 from a once strong 4500 c.1443. The Square remained popular after the Purge but mainly due to pilgrims visiting the Cathedral or sightseers or historians. A few months after the Purge, flyers began appearing in the streets in and around Gallows Square showing that many people thought the time had come for a renovation of the square, for the Gallows to be removed and the cages be brought to a museum or back to the Prison, and for the posted heads to be given a proper burial. Category:Role-play